Memories of a Young Dependent

This email was forwarded to me by a frequent contributor to the blog.  Enjoy!

I was 8 years old when we arrived at Peden Bks. We arrived by troop ship coming from Fort Carson Colorado at Bremerhaven in February 1955. I remember the 14 days across the atlantic and the train ride from Bremerhaven to Wertheim very well. This was the second time we had crossed the atlantic aboard a troop ship. Back then whole units deployed together with support ships. Never saw my Dad the whole time crosssing the atlantic.

My Father was stationed there from February 1955. We left Peden in February 1958.  He was a cook for the dining facilities assigned to the 35th FA. and an E-6 at the time.   When he wasn't in garrison he was in the field at Graf, Whoenfels, or some other training area. We saw little of him except when the units weren't on maneuvers.

I have very fond memories of life as a kid at Peden Bks and loved everything that I experienced there and especially all the great times as a kid wondering throughout the hills all around Peden.

The toughest part about living at Peden in those days was getting up and down the mountain in the winter. Medical care was a big problem and the closest real hospital was in Wurzburg so, if you had an illness that required real serious medical care, you would have a real nightmare of a drive if the snow came in and it usually was really bad in winter. Once it snowed so hard for so long that our quarters building doors could not be opened from the inside. Soldiers from the garrison were dispatched that one year to help dig the snow drifts from in front of the doors to the building. Three stories, nine families in each stairwell of three stairwells and German maids living in the basement quarters. Funny, us kids loved it, my Mom went crazy worried that we would run out of food, HA! Uncle Sam made sure that never happened because he issued 4 cases of "C" Rations for each family upon arrival. My Mom and Dad had to keep them put away and we were not allowed to open any. When we departed in 1958 the cases were also turned in or my Dad paid. Crazy! The other real problem for my folks was my big brother. He was 15 and in High School. Those kids really had it tough. School for my Brother was in Wurzburg. Kids would catch the buses on Monday and come home Friday. If it snowed and the roads were impassable, the High School and the Command at Wurzburg put them up in the gym. My Mom hated that part most of all. Late in 1957 they started a one room high school class at the Werthiem Elementary and things got a lot better for my folks.

The one thing that I loved most as a kid was the Theatre on post. Every Saturday every kid on post was at the movies. Back then we didn't have money, only American script. We did have change (Not A Lot) and not many pennies. A dime could get you just about anything.Watching Hopalong Cassidy, the Lone Ranger and the News in black and white was great. The other great thing about Peden was the AYA (American Youth Association). At the AYA you could build airplanes and models, play board games, join the cub scouts, play Little League Baseball and just have a great time with all the other kids. Used to be a lot of old Nazi anti-aircraft and machine gun bunkers (Concrete) around post and one big one near the theatre. We played all kind of crazy games including cardboard sliding down the hills around post and exploring the fields and woods around and outside the post. If we could save some phennings up to amount to anything, we would get our bikes and ride up to Volkenroad and by candy at a little candy store there. Sometimes we could bribe our fathers into letting us ride up to Volkenroad to buy beer for them. Mom's would never suspect us, HA!

Anyway, did you know that Peden Barracks sat on top of one of a really large tunnel system? True! One of the secrets some of my friends and I found out one day when exploring. Down the hill in front of Peden, across the ruddabegger fields and down a few walled slopes we found a tunnel entrance and not just a tunnel but a complex. The front entrance was about 25" wide and 25" high made solidly of concrete. Above the entrance way you could still barely see the reddish brown swastika painted on the entrance way. We just happened upon it by chance because the Germans/Americans had tried to conceal it with rubble and brush. This was our secret we swore to always keep. As the days past we did a lot of exploring in that tunnel. The walls and floors were all concrete and there was German markings on the walls that we found ever so often. Inside it was damned dark but we had our fathers od green flashlights and as the days past we got braver and braver. All we ever found in there was old boxes and pieces of trash. The really scary part was the constant water leaks from above and the smell. I would expect that we explored about a quarter of a mile and we imagined that we were somewhere under Peden Barracks when we found the tunnel had several intersections and turns that had been concreted over. We often played war games around that tunnel and never told our parents anything, it was our secret safe place. We called it our Nazi hideaway, HA! I have often wondered about the military history of Peden. I have been told that it was a very secretive German site before and during the war and it was a supply support depot for the Luftwaffe. Some say that in the days during the war that the tunnel system was built with forced laborers. Getting information straight from Uncle Sam is like pulling teeth.

One other thing. Do you know the bridge crossing the river into Werthiem? When I was a kid and often my Mom would take us down the hill to shop, we always noticed the Swastika that was clearly visible on the very top center brace of the bridge on both sides. The Americans had obviously tried to over paint it on many occasions with gray paint but, even then you could still see the fade in reddish brown swastika. When I went back in 1985 I noticed that they had torn down the old steel bridge and built a new one. Back in those days we had not yet established complete trust and there were still some animosity. We often found it in locals who were very abrupt when my Dad didn't accompany us into town but when he was around, different story. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love the German people and the best days of my life I spent in Germany.  I hope before the Good Lord takes me, I get to go back just one more time.

Yeah life was so good for us kids at Peden Barracks.  I will always cherish my memories of Peden Barracks and love to share them with others. Thanks for opening this old door for me.